Page 3 of Claiming the Omega (The Wolves of Sparrow Ridge)

V ictor was drawn to the young man and couldn't understand why.

He was human and not his usual type. The guy was so .

. . tiny was the only word that really described him, apart from 'drop-dead gorgeous.

' The look in his eyes, the way his blond hair swept across his face, and the way his long, delicate fingers handled the glasses and the wine were breathtaking and sent a shiver of desire through Victor's body.

It was something Victor had never experienced before.

Victor was stunned by his reaction to the young waiter and was anxious for the man to return so he could investigate the feeling further.

He found himself looking towards the kitchen repeatedly and had to hold himself back from actually going and looking for him.

His wolf was adamant that they find that man, to the point Victor had to purposefully focus and calm his wolf.

“What’s the matter?” Jared asked as Victor glanced at the door one more time.

"That waiter." That was all he could say.

“Yes.” Jared urged, but Victor just shook his head and gave a half grin.

"I don't know, he looked familiar, and he seemed afraid of something."

“I don’t know him. I’ve been here for dinner before and saw him, but I don’t know who he is apart from his first name.” That information caught Victor’s attention.

“What’s his name?” He hadn’t been listening when the waiter first arrived.

"Benjy." Just then, another waiter came up to their table and delivered their drinks and appetizers. It wasn't Benjy. Victor watched him for a few moments before asking about Benjy.

"He had to leave, sir. I will be your server." The man took their order with a smile and left.

Victor looked at Jared silently for a while before stating his thoughts. “That was a bit on the fly, don’t you think?”

"Maybe he got an urgent message from home." He offered a possibility, but Victor sensed that there was much more to the scene than was obvious. Victor's expression made it clear that he thought the idea unlikely, but did it matter one way or the other? Probably not.

Victor put his thoughts on the matter aside and tried to enjoy his meal, but his mind would not stop thinking about the handsome little man. Why did he run away? Why was he so frightened? These were his pervading thoughts.

Benjy rode his bike like the devil himself was chasing him.

The Alpha wolf had looked at him and recognized that something was off.

Benjy saw it in the guy's intense black eyes.

If he'd gone back to that table, the Alpha would have figured it out, and then what?

Would he kill Benjy, force him out of his territory, or just make his life hell? Benjy fucking hated wolf packs.

Considering the experiences Benjy had with past Alphas, the likelihood of him just ignoring Benjy and his brother was less than unlikely.

Alphas liked their power, and they liked others to respect and honor it.

By sneaking into his territory, he and Shane had disrespected the Alpha and his authority.

No ego-driven Alpha would let such a slight go unpunished, and all Alphas were ego-driven.

He didn't stop to put his bike in the shed; he just dumped it by the house and raced inside, locking the door behind him. He sent a quick text to Shane letting him know what had happened and asked him to be extremely careful. Shane decided to come home immediately.

As he waited for Shane, Benjy completed a sketch of the Alpha from the restaurant, as well as his friends.

His focus had been primarily on the Alpha, so his sketch was the most detailed.

He wanted to give Shane something to refer to when avoiding people.

He completed the work quickly and found himself drawn to the black eyes and handsome features.

For a wolf, he was impressively good-looking.

Benjy had never found himself so affected by a man before. His presence was magnetic like all Alphas, but this guy had something extra going on that set Benjy's pulse racing. If he weren't so god awful scared of the man, he would probably be stalking him.

The Alpha of his old Pack was scarred and rough-looking, far from handsome in any sense of the word. His son, Greg, who would eventually take over the position of Alpha, was a good-looking guy, but couldn't hold a candle to the handsomeness of the restaurant's Alpha.

He needed to keep his focus where it mattered, and what mattered was the importance of staying hidden from the local Pack.

He couldn't let himself fall into daydreams of this Alpha; he was dangerous and deadly, and Benjy needed to keep that at the forefront of his mind.

He was contemplating moving to another town when Shane came through the front door.

He ran to Benjy, and they hugged before the questions started fast and furious. “Do you think he knows? Did anyone follow you? What should we do?” Shane was as frantic as Benjy, and he knew that his fear was affecting Shane. He forced himself to calm down and act like the older brother.

"He sensed something, but I don't think he was clear on what it was.

I was cloaked, but as you know, Alphas are powerful.

I got out of there before he had a chance to scent me.

" Benjy took his sketchbook from the sofa and handed Shane the picture he drew of the Alpha and his friends.

"This is him, and these are the wolves with whom he dined.

" Shane took the pictures and studied them closely.

“He is very handsome. Did you embellish, or was he really this striking?” Shane asked offhandedly as he looked at the pictures.

"He is that striking, but he is Alpha and therefore our enemy, don't forget that fact.

" Benjy didn't want Shane getting all misty-eyed over a handsome man and forgetting that he could kill them both.

"He was also dining with that woman there.

" He pointed at another sketch. "So, I think she was either his wife or girlfriend. "

Shane handed the pictures back and stated fervently. "I won't forget how Greg and his cronies tormented you and how his father destroyed everything we had and nearly killed us both. Don't worry, brother; I will not forget the cruelty of an Alpha."

…

Victor had said goodnight to his friends hours ago, and yet he still could not get the image of that waiter, Benjy, out of his thoughts.

Why was that small human pressing on his mind, and where did the driving need to find him come from?

It was strange in its intensity and in its .

. . depth? He had to find out more about the man than just his first name.

His wolf was telling him there was a connection, and he needed to discover what it was.

Victor contacted his Beta, Cole Morgan, who also happened to be head of Pack Security, and asked him to check into the young human from Sparrows Landing. Cole had numerous contacts and systems to gather any information the Pack or Victor needed to know.

“Is he a security threat?” Cole asked for clarification.

"I don't think so. He just got under my skin, and I can't explain why. I only know his first name and that he works as a waiter at Sparrows Landing." Victor explained a bit further. "He's human and a tiny little thing, so I doubt he could do us any harm." Victor chuckled at the thought.

“I’ll get right on it.”

"Thanks." Victor hung up and took a quick shower before trying to get some sleep. Every time he closed his eyes he saw that little waiter standing there as if beckoning to him with those fearful eyes. Every instinct he owned told him the man was important; in some way, he was very important.

…

“Maybe we should move.” Shane made the suggestion as they sat together having breakfast the morning after the wolf sighting.

"Let's not act impulsively. You've just settled into school, and this place is both affordable and comfortable. Let's wait and see if he follows. Maybe I got away quick enough, and I wasn't that memorable." Benjy cleared the table.

"I'm going to look for a more isolated job. The waiter's position was just asking for trouble. I was too much in the public eye. I really should have known better." Benjy rambled on as his brother came up and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He had to look up when he turned to look at him.

“You should be allowed the job of your choice, but I understand.” He gave a deep sigh. “There’s a dishwashing job open at the campus cafeteria. I can get you an application if you’d like. The hours are brutal, though, six to midnight Monday through Friday.” Shane gave him a sad expression.

"Sounds great, get me the application." Benjy smiled widely. "In the meantime, I have several commissions to complete and with time off, I can take on some extra work."

"Maybe you should just stick to the commission work, Benjy. You are really talented and should be focusing more on your art." Shane stated as he walked to the front door with his book bag slung over his shoulder.

“I don’t have a large enough customer base yet to do commissions full time; I need a job to supplement, for now anyway.

” Benjy would have to make sure that the new job would be away from the public.

That incident with the Alpha nearly had him wetting his pants, and he didn’t want to get that close to being discovered again.

“I’ll follow your lead, you haven’t guided me wrong yet.” Shane smiled and patted him on the shoulder. “I won’t be late.”

Benjy went back to the kitchen, cleaned up the dishes, and wiped down the table.

He noticed the construction workers filling the backyard and wondered how long it would take them to finish the structure.

The note had said a couple of weeks, but it had already been several days, and the work was progressing slowly.

He closed the kitchen curtain and headed over to his laptop to check on available work in the area. He needed a job, and he needed it quickly.

…